Date:	Wednesday 3 September 1952
Time:	night
Type:	Avro Lincoln B Mk 2
Owner/operator:	61 Sqn RAF
Registration:	RF343
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8
Other fatalities:	1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Avro Lincoln B.Mk.2 RF343, 61 Sqaudron, RAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 3 September 1952 in a landing accident at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire

Attempting a three-engined overshoot at RAF Waddington on 3 September 1952, No 61 squadron's Avro Lincon RF343 landed with the No.4 engine feathered and bounced on touchdown. The pilot initiated a three engine overshoot but although the aircraft cleared a housing estate, the pilot could only get the airspeed to 80 knots in the existing configuration and it crashed.

On touch down, the Avroi Lincoln developed an uncontrollable swing and crashed off the edge of the airfield, nearly missing an estate of some newly built NCO married quarters and slewed around ending up on a rubbish dump. The pilot, Flying Officer Frank Hercliffe and the crew escaped unharmed with a few minor injuries. Two of the eight man crew, Sgt. Gibbs and Flight Lieutenant Waddicore were injured.

Sadly, 2 days later, a disaster struck when 2 small boys entered the partly burned Lincoln to play after guards had been been removed, and they managed to set off some pyrotechnics, believed to be VEREY flare cartridges, which ignited the fuel tanks, creating a large explosion, which led to the death of one of the boys, a pupil from nearby Bracebridge Heath Primary School. The first on the scene was a Lincoln aircrew navigator, Master Navigator Arthur Collins, and his 6 year old son, who were taking their Irish Setter for a walk from their nearby married quarters, and shortly thereafter, the emergency services arrived but it was too late to save the young boy's life.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.133 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.287
4. 61 Squadron ORB (Operations Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the month of September 1952: National Archvies (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2624/42 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8424905
5. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1950s-incident-logs#1952
6. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/avro-lincoln-rf343-crash-3-sept-1952-raf-waddington.34854/
7. https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/134950-avro-lincoln-rf343-61-sqn-crash-at-raf-waddington-mqs-3-september-1952%C3%A2%E2%82%AC%C2%8F
8. https://www.airfieldresearchgroup.org.uk/forum/aircraft/7334-avro-lincoln

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
22-Mar-2021 19:09	Dr. John Smith	Added
22-Mar-2021 19:11	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
23-Mar-2021 12:31	Vicktor	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator]